Apple iPad Air 2 vs Asus Transformer TF701T: Tablet Battle

When Apple introduced the first-ever-generation iPad in 2010, this company made it clear that iPad was a pure media-consumption device – either for watching movies, browsing the web, reading books or playing games.

So it never entered in Apple’s mind – or Steve Jobs - that iPad was gonna be used to do stuff other than for enjoying media contents.
This really contradicts with one of Asus’ main goals when entering to the tablet market for the very first time, which is to make productivity-centric devices not to compete against the iPad, but actually to offer something that can be more valuable and useful than the iPad.

That’s shown perfectly by a wide range devices that Asus released under the Asus Transformer line.

Not only do these tablets have some high-grade quality specs and performance, but they also can be great alternatives for iPad especially if users are looking for productivity devices.

One of the most impressive tablets, in fact, flagship models released by Asus under this series is Asus Transformer TF701T.

The most prominent sectors that make it look quite good in front of its rivals are definitely its 2.5K display and Tegra 4 processor, along with the 72-core GeForce ULP GPU.

This is actually the main reason why i want to put this flagship powerful tablet in the same ring with the latest-gen iPad Air 2.

Well, if you’re also interested to see my comparison between these 2 tablets and see how they go against each other in this review, including my take on their gaming performance, then check this one out, my comparison review between iPad Air 2 and Asus Transformer TF701T.

Introduction

Both iPad Air 2 and Asus Transformer TF701T are actually great equally as gaming devices. In fact, these tablets are 2 of the tablets with the best gaming performance in today’s standards.

Apple’s tablet with its triple-core A8X processor (along with PowerVR GX6650 GPU, if i’m not mistaken) is just too powerful for playing games.

It goes the same with Asus Transformer TF701T. Thanks to its monster Tegra 4 processor and a staggering 72-core GPU, there’s no doubt that this device is just a perfect machine for gaming.

And with its insanely sharp 2.5K display, playing games on this tablet is probably incomparable than playing on other tablets with lower-resolution screen.

But the questions remain. With all of the high-grade beefy specs and insanely powerful gaming performance on these 2 devices,

Which one between iPad Air 2 and Asus Transformer TF701T that deserves to be the best gaming tablet in this comparison review? Which one between these 2 tablets that is just a better device in the whole aspect? Is it worth it to buy any of these tablets, especially for playing games?

Well, to see my final conclusion of this review, including my answers of these questions, be sure to keep reading the rest of this post.

Design

When iPad Air 2 was announced for the very first tiem, it’s actually been expected by many people that Apple would shrink this device even further in order to make it much thinner than predecessor. And that happened exactly on this latest-gen iPad.

Compared to the previous-gen iPad Air, this sequel is now so much thinner, even as thin as pencil – as seen on the presentation of this tablet at Apple’s announcement event.

But impressively is, despite being a thinner tablet, iPad Air 2 amazingly still inherits the same long battery life of its predecessor – which has been proved in many reviews on YouTube.

iPad Air

Asus Transformer TF701T

The rest of the design of this iPad Air 2 is actually not a huge departure from the previous-gen iPad Air. It’s still made out of aluminum material all over its coating, the aspect ratio is still 4:3 and pretty much everything on this tablet looks pretty similar with the predecessor.

However, there’s still something that sets it apart with its iPad Air One, like its much shinier metal trim on its bezels, especially the gold model.

On the other hand with iPad Air 2, Asus Transformer TF701T is on the other side of the road. However, this device actually still looks pretty much the same with the rest of its siblings, of course in entire design concept.

So the rear-cover is still made out of the brushed aluminum coating, with “Asus” logo engraved on the center.

Meanwhile, the front side of this tablet is dominated with black bezels around the screen and of course the main touch screen. And as a productivity-focused tablet, there’s also the keyboard dock that can be attached to the tablet manually using magnetic docking port.

As far as the design is concerned, i think both tablets have their own characteristic especially against each other tablets on the market.

However, between the 2, i think iPad Air 2 is more superior not only because it’s made out of aluminum material, but it also has that ‘premium’ level plus really thin body, which make it untouchable even by a powerful device like Asus Transformer TF701T.

Meanwhile, Asus Transformer TF701T also looks really impressive with its 2.5K resolution on its 10.1-inch display (2560x1600 pixels), a quad-core Tegra 4 processor, 72-core GPU, 2GB of RAM, 5MP and 1.2MP cameras back and front and a much larger 31Wh battery – which is not surprising given its higher-resolution display and power-hungry Tegra 4 processor.

Screen

When it comes to sharpness, i think iPad Air 2 should give the crown to Asus Transformer TF701T because this device with its 2.5K display is just unmatched even by the “Retina” display found on this latest-gen iPad.

Asus Transformer TF701T comes with a 10.1-inch display sporting the super high-resolution 2560x1600 pixels – similar just like the screen on many today’s Samsung flagship tablets, Kobo Arc 10 HD, Toshiba Excite Pro and many others.

And given that Asus is the one who made this tablet, then the display quality of this device is definitely up to par with most of the competition on 2.5K bandwagon.

However, it doesn’t straightly mean that the “Retina” display of iPad Air 2 is mediocre compared to the screen of Asus Transformer TF701T. Well, that’s of course so WRONG because Apple devices have been known mostly for their great quality display.

And that’s not shocking given that some of the screen suppliers of Apple devices are respected manufacturers like LG, SHARP and some other more.

So even it the display of iPad Air 2 is not on the same level with Asus Transformer TF701T, when it comes to amount of pixels and sharpness, it still looks insanely sharp and gorgeous for most of users.

User Interface

Most of Asus Transformer tablets come with Asus in-house fully-customized UI based on Android platform. And this UI is of course well-optimized specifically for this productivity tablet series.

Asus Transformer TF701T is no exception.

Just like all of its siblings in Asus Transformer series, this tablet also comes pre-installed with Asus homemade UI that is well-optimized to enhance the productivity functionality and experience of this tablet.

So there will be some pre-loaded apps, features, tasks and many others that are tailored for its productivity experience.

This really contradicts with iPad Air 2 that is more focused as a pure media-consumption device, which Apple has been really good at since the first-gen iPad.

So the UI of iOS 8 basically still looks and works similar with the previous-instrumental of this platform – iOS 7.

However, there are some new great stuff that Apple crams on this newer build of software, like Metal API for example.

This is actually not a feature. In fact, users are not allowed to use this software development Kit because it is made by Apple only for iOS developers.

So with this Metal API, it gives developers a much larger workspace to improve and take their games/apps to the far new level, especially in terms of graphics and visual effects.

Besides this Metal API, there are also some new improvements made by Apple on this iOS 8, like the new widget element on notification window, much simpler looking design layout and some other design tweaks found all over the pre-loaded apps.

Between these 2 tablets, i probably will go with Asus Transformer TF701T because this device is more prepared in terms of software and features, especially as a more serious productivity device, while it’s also great as a media-consumption tablet.

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With Tegra 4 quad-core processor along with 72-core GeForce ULP GPU, plus 2GB of RAM, it’s just no brainer that Asus Transformer TF701T is a perfect machine for playing games.

Even with its super razor-sharp 2.5K display, this tablet still flies in performance even when playing some of the latest and most graphically demanding games like Modern Combat 5, Asphalt 8: Airborne or GTA San Andreas.

Not only do these games run perfectly and smoothly, but also, they can be executed even in full highest graphics without any lag.

It goes the same with iPad Air 2.

Thanks to its triple-core A8X processor, accompanied with PowerVR GX6650 GPU plus 2GB of RAM, there’s no single doubt that this latest-gen iPad is more than adequate to play all iOS games that you see on iTunes today – yes, all of them.

So basically, with this hardware package, you can play games like GTA San Andreas, Modern Combat 5 or even Bioshock in buttery smooth performance and in full graphics.

Between these 2 devices, i think both Asus Transformer TF701T and iPad Air 2 are powerful equally in terms of graphical and gaming performance.

However, in gaming experience as a whole, i think iPad Air 2 is slightly more powerful than Asus Transformer TF701T.

I mean, it has much bigger game catalog filled with well-optimized games specifically for this iPad Air 2, it has huge support from all game developers especially with Metal API on iOS 8, longer battery life even for gaming and the design of this tablet – which is much thinner and lighter to hold – also makes it an ideal gaming device.

Even so, despite not being as great gaming tablet as iPad Air 2, this Asus tablet is still great as a gaming machine.

The only downside found on Asus Transformer TF701T is actually its overheating issue. According to what i’ve heard from many users, Tegra 4 tablets are mostly plagued with this same issue.

So when used for doing some heavy intense stuff – like gaming or watching HD movies -, Tegra 4 tablets will get hotter on their rear-cover.

And this can be quite annoying for some users, especially gamers.

So if you decide to buy Asus Transformer TF701T, then you must also accept the fact that this device is going to have that overheating issue on its rear case, forcing you to buy an external case cover to protect your hands or forcing you to always put down the tablet for a while when the rear-cover gets really hot, in order to unleash the heat from the device.

Anyway guys, if you want to know more about the gaming performance of iPad Air 2 vs Asus Transformer TF701T, including what games that will run on these tablets, check out my YouTube video playlist or Pinterest page. :)

Cameras

Asus Transformer tablets are actually not really prominent with their cameras. However, it doesn’t mean that the cameras of all Asus tablets will suck in overall quality.

Well, that’s so wrong because this company actually also develops its own camera technology for its devices, mostly on latest-gen models (as shown on PixelMaster tech).

And given that Asus Transformer TF701T is also one of the latest-gen flagship models in Asus’ last year tablet lineup, then you can count on the quality of its cameras.

It may not be as great and sharp as the 8MP iSight camera of iPad Air 2, but i think, the photos and videos taken with its cameras will still look gorgeous especially when seen on its 2.5K sharp display.

The colors in the photos look popping out and the sharpness is probably unmatched even by iPad Air 2.

Meanwhile, iPad has been known for its superiority of its camera. And iPad Air 2 is of course no exception.

In fact, i probably won’t need to talk a lot about its camera quality because the iSight camera of this device is no doubt really great and sharp in terms of quality.

So if you’re really into photography, then you’ll make no mistake if you decide to buy this iPad.

Its camera take decent quality shots and in fact, the quality is so great you can even show your photos and videos on your larger HDTV in your house.

Battery Life

One of the most impressive things found on the iPad Air 2 is definitely its battery life. Despite having a much thinner body, this latest-gen iPad – with its 27.3Wh battery – amazingly still delivers the same promised 10 hours of battery life in talk time (multimedia).

I believe Apple has made a lot of tweaks and improvements on the iOS 8 of this device especially in order to keep its battery life as long as on the predecessor, which is around 10 hours.

So if the previous-gen iPad Air 1 is already powerful in battery life – according to Marques Brownlee -, then you can totally expect the same thing on this iPad Air 2. Even in heavy use, this device could even survive more than 1 day.

The same applies to Asus Transformer TF701T. Thanks to its much larger 31Wh battery (or probably around 8200mAh battery with the assumption that 10Wh = 2700mAh), this tablet is more than capable to deliver an all-day-long battery life to users, of course on a full 100% charge.

And this can only be achieved in certain conditions – like for example, if you set the brightness to medium or even low and you only use it in your spare time, not in entire day.

However, if things get more intensive, especially for playing heavy graphically demanding games without resting the screen at all, its battery could drop drastically to around 5 to 7 hours, maybe less.

And this is not so surprising because – besides having a heavy-weight software and features -, this device is also sporting a super-high-resolution display, plus insanely powerful processor, which could be so power hungry and drain a lot of juice from its battery.

My Personal Opinions

So the final conclusion of this comparison review is, i think both devices are on the same level, either in display, processor, GPU, RAM, camera and even design.

So it’s pretty hard to determine which one of these tablets that is better in the whole aspect.

However, in overall quality of these 2 devices, in my opinion iPad Air 2 is a slightly more superior than Asus Transformer TF701T.

And it’s not surprising given that this iPad is a new-gen device from Apple – as opposed to the Asus Transformer TF701T that was a flagship tablet from Asus in late 2013.

So there are some sectors of iPad Air 2 that really put this device up ahead against the Asus Transformer TF701T.

It has a more powerful graphical performance, much sharper cameras, longer battery life, much thinner more comfortable-to-hold design, more premium build quality and not to mention, there’s also TouchID sensor found on its home button, which can be really handy in the future especially when mobile payment system becomes viral around the world (which is just happening right now!).

However, there are also some parts that put Asus Transformer TF701T on the higher level than iPad Air 2.

It has a much sharper display (2560x1600 pixels VS 2048x1536 pixels), a fully-featured Android OS along with its productivity features and apps, full-fledged keyboard dock with touch pad, powerful graphical performance, fast experience, microSD card slot for up to 64GB and some other more.

Its camera and battery life are actually not that bad compared to iPad Air 2, they are just not on par.

With all of these things presented to you, i think it’s still pretty hard for me to determine which one of these tablets that is a better device in the whole aspect.

And the decision to buy any of these devices will come down to your personal preference and needs.

I mean, if you’re looking for a decent quality media-consumption tablet with great cameras, battery life, gaming performance, design and sharp display, then iPad Air 2 can be your option here.

Meanwhile, if you’re in the search for a great powerful productivity device with keyboard dock that also has great cameras, powerful gaming performance, sharpest display, good battery life, impressive design and fully-featured software, then Asus Transformer TF701T can also be your destination here.

Disclaimer: Hi guys, bear in mind that this is not some in-depth review. This is Read more...